Gas-igniter.



H. B. STEELE. GAS IGNITER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1912.

Patented May 12, 1914.

\M T E 5 5 E 5 1 UNITED sTATE-s PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT B. STEELE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

- GAS-IGNITER Specification oflietters Patent.

Application filed May 10,1912. Serie1No.69G,532.

To all its/tom. it may concern ie it known that I HERBERT B. Stream,

of Boston,-in the connty of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, a citizen. of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Igniters, of which the following is a specification,

My invention comprises an e ectrit'cally 1gnited burner especially adapted for igniting acetylene gas for automobile lights although it may be used for other purposes.

I-Ieretofore when a short length of electrically heated resistance wire has been used to light gas the life of the wire has been unsatisfactory due tothe combined effects of the gas and the electric current at the moment of ignition While both are turned on.

I have found by experiment that the life of the resistance wire is increased as the quan tity of current necessary to raise the resistance wire to the point of ignition is reduced although the temperature to which the resistance wire must be raised remains the same.

My invention comprises the use of a resistance so shaped that a great deal of the heat radiation from one part of the resistance is taken up by other parts by which the quantity of current required is materially reduced and in its preferred form it comprises a fine coil of platinum or other wire in the circuit and preferably located within a suitable recess in the burner shaped for its reception. It also consists in the peculiar means shown for holding a resistance in the path of the gas.

My invention in its preferred form will. be understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a burner embodying my invention. Fig, 2 is a vertical section through the jet-piece carrying the resistance. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of said jet-piece. Fig. 4 is an elevation looking into the jet-piece, Figs. 2, 3 and 4. being fractional portions of the burner, and Figs. 5 and (3 are details of the clips referred to below.

A is the metallic standard of the burner from the upp r end of which project the usua jet-pieces l3 and C. These are customatily made in one piece of lava or the like. 'I have provided each jet piece with a cupshapetl recess about its gas orifice. T l'lc cavity of the jet-piece B is shown at h in F leg, 2, b being'the as passage and b being air passages of which there are usually four. Within the cavity 6 is a plat-in'tzm coil D which is connected at one end with a clip E and at the other end with a clip F. I prefer that these clips shall be constructed as follows. The clipE comprises arms 6 which clasp the jet-piece B and afinger e which reaches up over the top of. the jet piece and is there connected through the top passage 6 with one end of the platinum D. The clip E also has a loop c to which an electrical connect-ion may be made. with the battery.v This clip is insulatedfrom the standard A by the lava of which the tip is composed. The clip F has a central portion f which rests in the cavity or recess between the two jet-pieces. From this central portion f project dowinvard two arms 1 which engage the upper part of the standard A to which they are soldered so as to make electrical connection therewith. It also has two upwardly-projecting arms F, f which extend up the walls of the recess in the inner air passages 5 c and to one of which f the other end of the coil D is attached. The coil D is made preferably of very fineplatinum wire coiled tightly so that the coils are in close proximity but not in contact. This is an important feature of my invention, viz: that the coils shall be so near that a large part of the heat radiated from each coil 'will be taken up by the other coils rather than wasted. It will be readily understoodthat a straight piece of wire when heated will radiate heat radially and the heat will dissipate, while in the case of a coil the rays of heat will intermingle, a large proportion acting and reacting upon the coil itself. Thus a much'less amount of current will give the necessary heat to the coil for ignition purposes thanin the case of the straight piece of platinum, and the life of the coil will be much longer. In utilizing my ignition device when embodied as shown the electric circuit is completed from one end of the coil D through the clip E; its loop e the connecting wire, circuit closer battery and suitable connection to the standard A and clip F, and by closing the circuit the coil will be heated, and the gas being turned on, will light the .gas after which the circuit will be broken.

As stated above, much less current will be needed with a device having a platinum coil than with an igniter in which no coil is used and the deterioration of the ignitcr will be much less rapid.

, I do not mean to limit myself to the precise mode of mounting thecoil shown..

Moreover the mode of mounting will be equally applicable to ,ignitersin which a straight piece of platinumor other resistance wire is used.

' a good mixing) I have referred to my resistance as being made of platinum, but I do not mean to limit myself to a coil of that metal as other metals may be used for, the. purpose although so far as I know platinum is the best.

The recess about the gas orifice I have 'foundvery desirable when used without my electrical contact with said standard, in

combination with a coil locatedin one of stllld jets and connected at one end to 'said 01 v 2 In anelectrically-igniting burner having a metallic standard and opposing jets, a clip central between said jets, said clip expending against the walls of the opening between the individual jets .and being the metal base formed with portions reaching down and in.

electrical contact with said standard, in combination with a coil located in one of said jets and connected at one end to said clip, and a second clip having arms embracing said jet the other end of said coil being connected to said second clip,and means of electrically insulating the second clip from the first.

4. In a divided jet burner having a metallic base, a lighting means comprising a clip circularly embracing the burner by outward pressure within the circular recess between the jets, said clip being also provided with extensions reaching downward to, fitted to and fastened and connected electrically to iece of the burner.

5. In a divi' ed jet burner, a central clip internally embracing the jet-piece above and in electrical contact with the metal jetholder-base-piece below.

HERBERT B. STEELE.

Witnesses GEORGE 0. G. CoALE,

M. E. FLAHERTY.

c0 51" of this patent may be obtained for fivc cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

